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COVER STORY
of the terminal and people who had lingered in there after their flight or had gotten something to eat would have to track somebody down so that we could open the gate and allow them to go through."
The system uses sensors to halt people from walking through the area, which O'Neill said staff can be reassigned to address other areas of the airport.
Since the system went on board, O'Neill said they haven't seen anyone try to challenge the system and it has sucessfully allowed for the free flow of passengers out of the secure side of the terminal.
"We see it as increased efficiency and we're very pleased with how it's functioning," he said.
Crews working on the AZA project performed most of the work at night to avoid major disruptions for passengers. O'Neill said construction crews would entirely shut down the security area at night and reopen them in the morning. They created a temporary doorway for passengers while working on the automated security lane, so the area was walled off during construction and tested before opening to the public.
The sensors for the doorway are extremely sensitive and O'Neill said the airport wanted to have all of the construction dust removed and the area cleaned while calibrating and putting the machine online.
"The first thing you need to do is make sure you've got your construction project cleaned up, you got all the debris and construction dust removed before you start calibration," he said. "It's a very sensitive system."
Bill Seibert, business development manager for airports solutions for dormakaba USA Inc., said automated security exit lanes are being embraced by airports in the U.S. because the technology has matured in recent years and federal officials propose cutting = funds for staffing the lanes each of the last several years.
"It's something that never sleeps. It monitors 24/7," he said. "The sensors have advanced to the point where this technology is not from 2010. It is advanced enough to where airports feel comfortable."
Seibert said automated lanes can be a valuable tool for airports of all sizes and can fit within most any access area. The only scenario they will not work in is a heavily sloped corridor, which he said no manufacturer makes a product to align sensors.
"All the airports can use it, from small to medium to large," he said. "The range encompasses everybody. Small, medium and large are all looking at this technology."
Seibert said airports looking at automated exit lanes need to understand the technology before making a decision. There are several manufacturers on the market and they use different technology and they should determine how it will impact airport operations, how it will incorporate into the access control system and what it will look like.
The airport should also look at yearly throughput today and what's expected a decade down the road. When airport leaders understand what their needs will be, they can work with an architect to make it fit into the terminal while meeting the needs of both today and tomorrow.
"From there, it's all about coordination," Seibert said. "Pulling wires to where they need to be, making sure you have all the inputs and outputs that you want."
Consultants integrating the lanes into a terminal should also consider how the lanes will fit into the landscape of the building.
Seibert said airports need to educate themselves on service plans for the lanes to keep the automated lanes operating properly.
"Look at if it's a local person or do they have to fly in every time," he said. "At dormakaba, we will go through a four hour training session just for the airport maintenance staff so they can do some light maintenance."
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Director Lance Lyttle said staff did site
visits at other terminals with automatic
security lanes to gauge the efficiency of
the machines and if it would make an
impact on traffic at SEA.
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32 airportbusiness May 2018